


Lady Lioness

by Emerla



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Ficlet Collection, Gen, House Lannister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-03
Updated: 2013-08-03
Packaged: 2017-12-22 07:16:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/910434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emerla/pseuds/Emerla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The fortunes of House Lannister rise and fall, but the ambitions of its women remain as sharp and implacable as the Iron Throne itself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Joanna

It is impossible for one to grow up in the shadow of Casterly Rock and fear the Iron Throne. To Joanna, sweeping through the Red Keep with the air of a lady accustomed to halls far grander, the twisted cluster of swords inspired no awe, nor any respect. Such a thing was a manifestation of brute force, of power seized not through wits or skill, but upon the battlefield with the aid of a beast no man could defeat. There was no elegance to a chair so blatantly meant for cruelty.

She would have a beautiful throne of gold, as delicate and harmless as people assumed Joanna herself to be even as she dreamed of bringing the noblest of Houses to their knees. The lords and ladies who had once scorned the Lannister name would beg her for mercy, and she would smile as if toying with their fate - as if she had not already decided to crush them.

People would learn to fear that smile.


	2. Cersei

Cersei could not stand the sight of Robert Baratheon seated upon the Iron Throne. It was rarely something she had to endure, yet merely the thought of the undeserving brute having the privilege to do what she could not – truth be told, the fact that he neglected to exercise that privilege angered her too. A king should not eschew the very symbol of his supremacy; if he did not look the part - and given Robert’s revolting physical decline, he most certainly failed in that respect – who would bow to his authority when a more appealing candidate appeared?

As a girl, Cersei had almost dared to seat herself upon it: stealing from the Tower of the Hand under cover of darkness, sweeping down the length of the Great Hall, setting her candle down at its feet to watch the light flickering over the blades. One day, she promised, not knowing whether she addressed herself or it as she reached out a hand, one day -  

\- That was when Tywin found her. She never could decipher his expressions, but took his almost-smile as approval.


	3. Joy

The scorch marks adorning the Great Hall were still in evidence, yet the Iron Throne remained intact. Perhaps before the return of dragons to Westeros, it would have been an impressive sight, even a fearsome one, but to Joy it was merely pathetic. A twisted heap of broken swords was hardly worth the losses her family had suffered in attempting to keep it. How many lives squandered, merely for the right to rule a broken land?

She made no attempt to conceal her hatred for the Dragon Queen as she bent the knee before her; this humiliating supplication endured, and Joy would have no further need to associate with Daenerys Targaryen – she would have the Rock. Denied even a proper name her whole life, never once had she imagined it would fall to her to restore the Westerlands from the ravages of failed Lannister ambition. She would build a court to rival the Queen’s; no need to fight the woman, only to eclipse her.

Joy relished the thought, meeting the Dragon Queen’s cold smile with an unflinching gaze.


	4. Myrcella

Myrcella did not believe the tale that her little brother had died upon the Iron Throne, but nevertheless her expression was grim as she approached the hateful thing. It took effort to suppress a shudder when she noticed the bloodstain marring the dais. She would have to get accustomed to such sights - signs of the conquest were spread throughout the Red Keep, from the crumbled gate to the burnt walls, corrupting her childhood memories. Myrcella could hardly tell whether this return was a homecoming or a venture into the unknown, yet it was still more her castle than the new Queen’s - an advantage she intended to exploit. Let Daenerys have the throne, Myrcella would claim the Keep and with it the court, rebuild both to her design, all the while playing the meek captive. Earn the Queen’s good favour, trust, friendship even; if a woman could sit the throne, why not a woman as her Hand? There were fewer risks for those who wore no crown.

Myrcella did not have to fake a smile as she took her place below Daenerys.


End file.
